Their Worst Nightmare
by Anna Flair
Summary: Five years after the Rebellion ended, Peeta and Katniss are about to face their worst nightmare. Rated T because I'm fickle. Slight Peeta/Katniss romance.
1. The Announcement

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games. **

**Author's Note: _After writing this, I realized that it was actually more than five years before Katniss and Peeta had their children. Oh well. For the sake of this story, let's just say it was less than five years. ;D_**

**Their Worst Nightmare**

**Chapter One- The Announcement**

I sat outside next to Peeta, admiring the primrose on the side of the house. Many things had changed since I returned home five years ago after killing President Coin, but the primrose remained the same. The house had remained the same, too. Peeta, my two children and I lived in Victor's Village, in the same house I had lived in with my mother and Prim. District 12 was flooded with people after the Rebellion ended. From what I was told, it made people feel safer ot be closer to the Mockingjay. I knew I could never protect all these people on my own, but Peeta said to just leave well-enough alone. District 12 was now the most populated District in Panem and many of the other Districts depended on 12 for their industrial needs. The atmosphere around Twelve had changed, too. It was..happier. Prim would have loved the new District 12.

Prim. I couldn't help but think about her, even though she died more than five years ago. It was strange not seeing her walk through the door after school anymore. Or hear her carry on about her goat, Lady. I still felt her presence every time I walked into her old room. My daughter, Rose, was sleeping there now. She reminds me so much of Prim. Her laugh, her long blonde hair, everything about Rose screamed "Prim" at me.

"Are you okay?" Peeta asked me, his eyes filled with concern.

"I'm just thinking of Prim," I murmured quietly. Tears began to well up in my eyes.

Peeta grabbed my hand and squeezed it gently, "She wouldn't want you to cry over her like this."

I jumped up, releasing my hand from his, "I have a right to mourn my sister."

"I know," Peeta said innocently, "I'm just saying that Prim would want you to be enjoying life instead of sulking over her. You have two wonderful kids, and a husband who loves you. District 12 is better than it ever was. Prim would want you to be celebrating all of this, not mourning."

Even though I didn't want to admit it, Peeta was right. Prim wouldn't want me to be mourning her. She would want me to be out, enjoying the life I made for myself. "She would have loved the kids," I muttered, sitting back down and grabbing Peeta's hand.

"I know she would have, and speaking of kids, Finnick seems happy about something."

I looked up to see my son, Finnick, happily skipping up the front walk towards us.

"Hi Mommy and Daddy! Guess what?" he asked, beaming.

"What?" Peeta asked, picking Finnick up and putting him on his lap. Peeta always did have a way with kids.

"I won the drawing contest today at school!" he announced excitedly, pulling a drawing out from his pocket. In the drawing were four people, sitting on a patch of grass with butterflies and wild flowers surrounding them. Even though Finnick was only in his second year of school, he had a knack for drawing. "That's you, Daddy, Rose, and me!" he said, pointing out each person on the drawing.

"That's very good, honey," I said, pushing his long, black locks out of his piercing blue eyes.

"We're very proud of you, Finnick. Now, where's your sister? She's supposed to walk home with you," Peeta asked.

Finnick frowned, "She won something, too. I think. Everybody went down to the auditorium and Rose's name was picked out of a hat," Finnish frowned, trying to remember.

"Do you know what she won?" I asked.

"No, but," Finnick's face brightened, remembering something, "Mrs. Filch said that there was a special announcement on TV today and that we had to tell our parents to watch it. And that if you didn't watch it bad things would happen."

Peeta and I exchanged a confused glance.

"Did Mrs. Filch say what this announcement was about?" Peeta asked.

"No, but I think it's got something to do with Rose," Finnick said, staring proudly at his drawing.

My heart started to beat wildly as I told myself to calm down. I didn't like my children participating in things I didn't know about. It put me on edge.

"What time is the announcement?" Peeta asked, a hint of worry in his voice.

"Three-thirty!" Finnick said happily, oblivious to his parents' distress.

Peeta looked down at his watch, "It's three thirty-one. Let's go."

He picked Finnick up, and giving me a worried glance, lead the way into the house.

We turned on the television just in time to see Rose making her way onto a stage with a bunch of other children. The camera turned to a man not much older than Peeta and I. Everything about him was dark. His hair, his eyes, his clothing, even his smile. My heart began to beat faster. I didn't like this. Peeta must have felt my distress and grabbed my hand.

The man on the screen motioned for the crowd to quiet down and then said very simply, "Audience, you are looking at the tributes for the first ever Reinstated Hunger Games."

**Author's Note: Wow. That was the first chapter to my first ever fan-fic. Sorry that it's short, but I wanted it to end where it ended. You gotta love cliff-hangers. Review, please, and tell me if the story is worth continuing. Constructive criticism is appreciated. Thanks =D**


	2. Whatever It Takes

**Author's Note: I have two things to clear up:**

**1) Just completely ignore the "five years later" at the beginning of Chapter 1. I decided that the time frame didn't make any sense and wouldn't correspond with any future events. In order to not mess things up again with an exact time frame, let's just say this story takes place many years after the Rebellion ended.**

**2) The first chapter is written in past tense (as you obviously noticed) but I didn't really like the way it sounded. For this chapter I'm switching to present tense (the same way HG, CF, and MJ are written). Let's see if this works out better.**

**3) After reading this chapter, REVIEW! I developed a formula: Reviews=Happy Author=Faster Update. Thanks. Enjoy =D**

**Chapter 2- Whatever It Takes**

_This can't be happening._

My entire body goes numb as the man on the screen smiles widely. I turn to Peeta, hoping that he'll tell me that I heard wrong and that our daughter wasn't going to enter the most horrifying competition in the world. He doesn't tell me, though. His face is completely white, his bright blue eyes dull. Finnick seems to be the only one who is taking this news well. He's jumping back and forth around the living room, happily chanting "Rose is in the Hunger Games! Rose is in the Hunger Games."

"Peeta," I begin weakly, "How could-"

Peeta stands up suddenly, his face set hard with resolve. "Stay with Finnick, I'm going to go turn the Capitol into a living hell."

I stand up too, saying, "I'm coming with you," and grabbing his hand.

"No. It might not be safe," he says, squeezing my hand, "Besides, you need to stay here with Finnick. I promise I'll come back with Rose within a week. You'll see."

Anger bubbles inside of me and I detach my hand from Peeta's, "When have I ever run away from something that "wasn't safe"? You know quite well that I can take care of myself. Finnick can stay with Haymitch. I'm not fighting you over this. Let's go."

I walk over to where Finnick is yet again staring at his prize-winning drawing and say, "Honey, Mommy and Daddy are going on a trip for a little while. You're going to stay with Haymitch, okay?" I don't wait to see if it really is "okay" with him; I'm in too much of a rush. I pick him up and follow Peeta out the door.

I have to knock on Haymitch's door five times before he opens it. I push Finnick into his arms and hastily say, "Peeta and I have to go. We'll be back soon. Just watch him, okay? Bye, Finnick." I plant a speedy kiss on Finnick's head before grabbing Peeta's hand and running to the train station.

It seems that we're in luck. Just as we reach the station, there is a train pulling away that's headed to the Capitol. We hop on and quickly take the first seats we can find, two dusty seats in the very back of the train.

Once the train begins to move, Peeta and I start to plan.

"Why can't we just storm the Training Center, grab Rose, and leave?" I ask angrily.

"What will that do except cause more trouble?" Peeta asks. "They'll just come and take her away from us again."

"We can go off into the wilderness and hide," I suggest weakly, knowing that it's a crazy idea.

"No," Peeta says calmly, grabbing my shoulders and forcing me to look at him. "We aren't going to have a repeat of the Rebellion. Stop suggesting all these crazy ideas. Now, the first thing we're going to do is go and negotiate with whoever the Head Gamemaker is this year. We'll offer money, food, anything to get Rose back. If that doesn't work, well, then we can start discussing some of your crazy ideas."

My eyes begin to well up with tears. "I can't let Rose go through what we went through."

"I know," Peeta says gently, stroking my hair, "And I promise you that we'll get her out of there."

My eyes begin to droop; the day has really taken it's toll on me. I leanmy head over onto Peeta's shoulder and grab his hand.

"Go to sleep," he says in a soothing voice, "By tomorrow we'll have Rose back."

The last thing I hear before dozing off is Peeta whisper in my ear, "I love you."

xXx

I wake up to the smell of coffee and cream cheese. Through the train window I can see the Capitol looming in the distance. We're almost there.

"Morning," Peeta says, leaning down and kissing me on my nose. "An attendant walked by and gave us bagels and coffee. I already put cream cheese on yours." He motioned to the food situated on the tray in front of me. "Eat up. We need our strength today."

"I thought you said we were just going to negotiate today. How much strength does that take?" I ask jokingly, taking a bite of my bagel.

Peeta's face is serious. "If negotiating doesn't work, we may have to use violence. Even though I hope it doesn't come to that," he adds.

"Oh, I don't know, I'd like to give that Head Gamemaker a good punch in the face," I say, smiling.

"Try to remain calm when we're talking to him or her, okay? I doubt negotiating will go very well if you're going crazy the whole time."

I punch Peeta lightly in the arm. "I've never gone crazy. Sometimes I just get a little out of control. Besides, I have no doubt that we'll be able to rescue Rose."

"Neither do I. I think I see the train station up ahead. We better start getting ready."

XxX

An hour later, Peeta and I are walking through the streets of the Capitol, heading towards the Training Center.

"I'm pretty sure I remember the Training Center being that way," I say, pointing towards the left.

"I think you're wrong," Peeta says, trying to remember, "It's definitely towards the right."

I groan. "We're wasting time. Why don't we just ask someone?" I say, pointing to a man selling food on the side of the street. I grab Peeta's hand and lead him towards the man.

"Excuse me?" I ask, "Can you direct me to the Training Center?"

The man blinks at me a few times before responding, "Training Center?"

"Where all the tributes train for the Hunger Games," I say, slightly annoyed.

"Oh," the man says, "There isn't a Training Center anymore."

I frown, confused. "Then where do all the tributes stay?" Peeta asks.

"The President's Mansion. In fact, there's a crowd gathered right outside his house now. Something about the Head Gammaker making a speech and what not. I-"

"Thank you," I say hurriedly, quickly walking away from the man in the direction of the President's Mansion.

"How are they supposed to train in the President's Mansion?" Peeta asks me once we're far away from the man. "I mean, the house is fairly large, but not large enough to hold training grounds."

I wonder the same thing. Suddenly, a realization hits me. "They're not letting the tributes train this year," I say in horror, "That must be it. They're just going to put them all in the arena without any training and let them fend for themselves."

Peeta and I walk in silence, absorbing my revelation. "It's disgusting," Peeta says, "But we don't have time to worry about that. I think I see the Gamemaker up ahead."

Sure enough, there stands the man I saw on TV less than 24 hours ago, talking jubilantly about the Games this year. He's standing on a makeshift platform set-up on the front lawn of the President's Mansion. Peeta and I stand at the edge of the crowd, listening to what the man is saying.

"The new Games will be more spectacular than ever. There'll be more suspense, more danger, and most importantly, more bloodshed." His eyes light up when he says the word "bloodshed".

After a few more minutes of talking about the horrifying dangers that await the tributes inside the arena, he draws his speech to a close.

"I assure you all, you will not be let down by the first ever Reinstated Hunger Games! Now, I must be off to a meeting with the other gamemakers, but I will see you all again on Interview Night. Ta ta!" he says before stepping off the platform and walking back into the Mansion.

"How are we supposed to get in?" I ask Peeta as the crowd around us disperses.

"Well, we obviously can't walk right through the front door…" His face lights up as he remembers something, "There's a side-door that leads into the kitchen. That was the way they led me into the house when I had to do my promos for the rebellion." Peeta winces at the memory.

"You're safe now," I say softly, "Now let's go save our daughter."

Peeta grips my hand tightly and leads me towards the side door. It's on the secluded side of the Mansion, and the only way to get to it is by walking down a dark alley. We open it slightly, making sure that there is nobody on the other side. When the coast is clear, we walk through and Peeta begins leading me through more doors, obviously knowing where he's going.

"Are you sure-" I begin to ask, but Peeta motions for me to be quiet. The sound of voices approaches us and Peeta pulls me into an empty closet so we aren't seen.

"Oh please, why should we worry about security?" I hear somebody ask, and I automatically identify the voice as the Head Gamemaker's.

"Nobody is going to enter the area who isn't supposed to. It's in Death Valley for God sakes! I demand you to stop worrying about security and begin to worry about how we're going to kill off some of those kids!"

"Um, Mr. Bimble, I just received a page. I'm uh wanted in the Experiment Room," says another, less mature voice.

"Then go!" Mr. Bimble shouts. Once the other person leaves, the Head Gamemaker mutters under his breath, "Damn kids." And we hear him start to walk off.

Peeta and I glance at each other and decide that it's our time to act. We jump out of the closet and Mr. Bimble doesn't even have time to react before Peeta has his hand over Mr. Bimble's mouth and I am holding onto his wrists.

"You're the Head Gamemaker?" I ask quietly.

Mr. Bimble nods slowly, his eyes wide and terrified.

"I am going to release you now," I say slowly, "But you cannot run away or scream for help, or we'll just grab you again and pull you into that closet over there, okay?" I ask, making my voice sound lethal.

He nods slowly and Peeta and I release our hold on him. He takes a deep sigh of relief before straightening up and looking back and forth between Peeta and I. "What is it I can do for you?" Mr Bimble asks, a note of fear in his voice.

"Our daughter is one of the tributes in the Games. We want her back," I say simply.

Mr. Bimble's face dawns in recogognition and then he smirks evilly. "Ah, Mockingjay. I knew I recognized you from somewhere. Yes, well, there is no possible way you'll be able to get your daughter back. Once people realize that the daughter of the Mockingjay is in the Games, it'll be all they can talk about. Then the President will reward me for my stroke of brilliance." At our confused faces, he begins to laugh. "Come now, Mr. and Mrs. Mellark, you must've known that your daughter being chosen for the Games was no coincidence."

Peeta suddenly grabs Mr. Bimble's collar and puts his face directly in front of Mr. Bimble's. "Give us our daughter back," he whispers angrily. "We'll pay you anything you want. There's no price limit."

Mr Bimble looks my way, a lusty look in his eyes. Peeta tightens his grip on the collar, "Anything but her."

"Ah, well then," Mr. Bimble says, releasing Peeta's hands from his collar, "Like I said, there is no way we're going to give you back your daughter. I also should inform you that I have notified security that you are in the building and they will be after you within the next thirty seconds. Now, if you leave this place right this instance, I will not have them follow and capture you. If you decide to stay and continue to pester me, I will have you locked away for eternity. The choice is yours." He bows slowly before turning around and walking away.

Peeta begins to follow him, but I grab his arm and pull him back. "I have a plan," I whisper quietly so only he can hear. "Let's go." I pull him back the way we came until we're back outside in the dark alley. "There must be cameras everywhere," I say, looking around. "Let's find someplace quiet."

We search around for a while before we find an old abandoned shack at the edge of the city.

"What's your plan?" Peeta asks once we're inside.

I take a deep breath before saying what I thought I'd never have to say again, "We're going to re-enter the Hunger Games arena."

**I'm addicted to cliff-hangers. Now, REVIEW! It might be over a week until I update again but if I see some reviews (REMEMBER: Constructive Criticism is APPRECIATED) I might be motivated to update sooner. Never forget: Reviews=Happy Author= Faster Update =) I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and in the words of Mr. Bimble, ta ta!**


	3. Even Impossible Has Possibilities

"That's impossible," Peeta says simply, frowning.

"No, it's not," I insist. "We heard that Bimble guy talking about how the arena was in Death Valley, right? And how he said that he doesn't care about security around the arena? All we have to do is figure out where Death Valley is and then break into the arena."

"I don't think it's going to be as simple as you're making it out to be. It's too risky. What if we get caught and killed? Who's going to raise our children? Haymitch?"

I wrinkle my nose in disgust at the thought of Haymitch raising my children. "I'd rather be dead than watch my child be slaughtered on TV. Besides, do you really believe that this Bimble guy knows what he's doing? Who knows? Maybe there won't be any security at all."

"That's stupid! Why would he have no security surrounding the arena? Even if he doesn't have security, there might not even be a way to enter the arena from the outside."

"But there also might be a way, Peeta. We owe it to our daughter to at least give it a shot. Do you have any better ideas?"

Peeta bites his lip and I can tell he's deep in thought, trying to figure out another way. Finally he sighs and raises his hands in defeat. "I can't think of anything. You're right, we owe it to Rose to at least try."

I smile in victory. "I'm always right. Now let's go find out where Death Valley is," I say, taking his hand and leading him out the door.

After an hour, we finally find a bookshop situated on the corner of a run-down part of the Capitol. I slowly open the door and peek inside, making sure nobody is going to jump out at us. Inside, I know nobody is going to jump out, but after going through the Games twice, it's become second-nature to be wary when opening a door, or to sniff food before eating it to make sure it's not poisoned. I frown thinking about how much the Games changed me, and how I don't want that to happen to my daughter.

Suddenly, a middle-aged man steps out from behind a bookshelf with a duster in his right hand and an old, beat down book in the other.

"Hello," he says, seeming to be in shock that there are actually customers in his shop.

"We're here to inquire about a map of Panem. We'd like to look at one," Peeta says, stepping through the door to stand beside me.

"Ah, a map, did you say? Well, that should be no problem. Just give me one moment," the man says in an accent I can't distinguish. He disappears behind another bookshelf and Peeta and I can hear him rummaging through books. " it here?" we hear him mutter to himself. "No, no, no. The maps aren't even over here." He pops out from behind the bookshelf and smiles apologetically at us. "It will just be another moment." He disappears behind another bookshelf and comes out a few minutes later holding a large map.

"Here you are," he says cheerfully, handing the map over to Peeta and me. It's an old map, and it's hard to distinguish the writing on it. The man sees that we're having a difficult time and asks, "Trying to find anywhere specific?"

"We're looking for Death Valley," I admit. "For, um, a project our child has to do for school." I look at Peeta to see if what I said sounded convincing, and I receive confirmation when I look into his eyes.

"Oh, well it's hard to miss," the man chuckles. He points to a large He points to an area on the other side of Panem.

"Are you sure that's it?" I ask, desperately. It would be at least a week before Peeta and I would be able to reach the arena.

"Positive," the man says. "Will you be buying this map?"

"No," I groan, handing him the map and walking out of the shop.

I begin to walk back the way Peeta and I came, looking straight ahead the entire time. Defeat. I've only felt it a few times, when I couldn't save Rue, when Prim died, and now. Thinking about them bring the memories flooding back, and when I think about how I'm not going to be able to save Rose, I can't even move.

After a few minutes of standing still and crying, I begin to collapse onto the ground. Suddenly, I feel hands beneath my arms, picking me back up. I struggle at first, trying to get away, until I realize that it's Peeta. I collapse into his arms and continue to cry as he strokes at my hair and whispers reassurances.

I feel him put a piece of paper into my hand, and I pull away, looking at the paper, trying to make sense of what it says.

"What is this?" I ask him, confused.

"A list of train departures for today. I found it in the bookshop." Peeta points at a line at the very bottom of the page. "That train is headed towards someplace that's by Death Valley. I mean, it's not really that close, but I'm sure if we got that close that there'd be a way to find the arena. The train isn't exactly meant for people, it's more for food packages and stuff, but I-"  
I stop him with a kiss. "Thank you," I say sincerely when we break a part. "Who cares that we're going to have to sit on the floor of a train for a while?" I smile. "We're going to get our daughter back."

We spend the rest of the day hiding out in the more inconspicuous part of the Capitol until nightfall. Then we head off to the train station, hoping onto the back of the train just as it's pulling away. Peeta and I find a part of the train that has bushels of hay stacked in a corner. We form them into beds and situate them right below a completely open part of the ceiling.

It's relaxing, laying there with Peeta, staring up at the stars as they go by. I try not to think about Rose, but she keeps coming back into my mind.

"You're worried," Peeta says, picking up on my thoughts.

"Yeah," I sigh.

"Don't be. We're going to get her back. Just enjoy the time we have now. Who knows where we'll be in a couple of days."

"You're right," I say, yawning.

"Go to sleep," Peeta say soothingly. "You've had a long day. We can talk tomorrow. I think we're going to be on this train for quite a while."  
"Mhm," I say sleepily, already drifting off into darkness. Right before I doze off completely, I smell primrose.

Author's Note: Sorry for the long wait, I haven't had a lot of time to write lately. The next chapter might not come out for a while because I want to spend a lot of time on it. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, even though not much actually happened. REMEMBER TO REVIEWWW! Or there might not be another chapter at all, dun dun DUNNNN.


	4. The Higher You Hope, The Harder You Fall

**Chapter 4- The Higher You Hope, The Harder You Fall**

The train ride lasts days. Peeta and I pass the time by remembering our dead friends. The thought sounds disturbing, but it helps me to not focus on Rose. _She's still alive_, I reassure myself.

It seems like ages, but the train finally stops and Peeta and I hop off, unnoticed by all the workers unloading things off the train. Once we walk a little ways from the train, I assess my surroundings. From where we're standing, I can only see a few small buildings surrounded by concrete as far as the eye can see. The heat is unbearable, and I quickly rip off the large winter coat I was wearing.

"Let's check out the buildings," Peeta says, pointing to the only one that doesn't look like it's falling apart.

As we approach it, I notice an old man sitting on the front porch. White hair sticks up in tufts on his head, and aside from a pair of extremely small shorts, he's unclothed. When we reach him, I notice saliva dripping slowly down his face.

"Excuse me?" Peeta asks, tapping the man's shoulder. He jumps when Peeta touches him, as if Peeta woke him from a deep sleep, even though the man's eyes have been open the entire time.

"What the hell?" the man croaks, squinting at Peeta and I.

"I'm sorry if I, uh, woke you," Peeta says hesitantly, staring at the man in confusion.

"No, no, no, NO. I was NOT sleeping. No, no, no, NO. Haven't you kids been taught to not make assumptions? For your information, I was in a DEEP state of meditation. My doctor told me that I had to meditate everyday because I have an-"

"Okay, okay, okay," I say, not wishing to listen to the man talk about his issues. "Can you just tell us what the name of this town is?"

"My name is Loren," the man says groggily, staring blankly at me.

"Um, hi, Loren. Can you just tell me what the name of this town is?" I ask, starting to get impatient.

"How am I s'posed to know? You think I live here?" he shouts at me.

"Well can you direct me to somebody who does live here?" I shout back.

"Inside," Loren says. He throws his head back and closes his eyes; within seconds, he's snoring.

I lead the way inside, and find myself in a dimly lit, stuffy room. I feel something on my leg, and looking down, find a black cat staring up at me.

"Can I help you?" I hear someone ask distastefully.

Looking up, I see a woman who looks to be in her early thirties, sitting behind a large oak desk. Papers are scattered all over the desk, and the woman shuffles through them slowly, tossing some into a garbage can every few seconds.

"What's the name of this town?" I ask.

"It doesn't have a name," the woman sighs, throwing out a handful of papers.

"How is that possible?" Peeta asks.

The woman looks up at us and glares. "As you can probably see, we're not really a "town". It's more like a couple of buildings put in the middle of nowhere. I'm the only one who lives here. I manage all the imports coming in from the railroad and send them out to the surrounding areas. The only people who know about this area are the railroad workers." She stares at Peeta and I skeptically. "You two don't look like railroad workers. How'd you get here?"

"Can you just tell me how faraway Death Valley is?" I ask, changing the subject.

"Why do you want to know?" she asks suspiciously.

"We're touring the entire country, and that's our next stop. We seem to have gotten lost though," Peeta quickly jumps in, saving me from coming up with a weak lie.

"Hmm…" the woman says, staring intensely at us. "It's quite difficult to get there from here. You'd have to walk over fifty miles. That's the only way to get there from here, by walking. Unless of course…"

"Unless what?" I ask urgently.

"You've heard about the Reinstated Hunger Games, right?" the woman asks, leaning in closer, her voice down to a whisper.

"Of course," Peeta answers as I tense up.

"Well, it's being held in Death Valley. Since this is the closest area with a railroad, the Game officials came and installed a portal device that allows them to commute between here and the arena in a matter of seconds." The woman's eyes start gleaming as she talks, and she stares off into the distance, forgetting that Peeta and I are there. She stops abruptly when she notices us staring at her. "Oh no. I really shouldn't have told you that. Nobody was supposed to know. It was a secret."

"We aren't going to tell anyone," I say sincerely. "Would there be any way we could use the portal?" I glance at Peeta. "We've been looking forward to seeing Death Valley on our tour."

"Well..." the woman says hesitantly.

"Please," I plead with her.

She sighs. "Okay, but you're going to have to be extremely careful. Once you go through the portal, you'll be standing in a hallway. The door in front of you leads to the Gamemaker Headquarters. The door behind you leads directly into the Games. The door you'll need, though, will be a little ways down the hallway. It'll be a red door, and it'll lead right out into Death Valley." As she's speaking, she stands and motions for us to follow her down a stairway.

After walking down for what seems like an hour, we reach a black door. The woman, whose name I have found out to be Wendla, opens it slowly, and we're met with a pitch black hallway. She motions for Peeta and I to follow her through, and I realize it's not a hallway, but a very narrow room.

I can hear Wendla groping around for a light switch, and after a few minutes of standing in total darkness, Peeta and I begin to search for one too. Suddenly, a light flickers on, and I see Peeta standing next to a switch, on the other side of the room.

The light doesn't help much. There's still a dim haze throughout the room from all the dust. You would think that the people from the Capitol would keep it cleaner. The room is completely empty aside for the huge circular contraption sitting in the center of it. It's made of steel, and from what I can see, looks like a plain ordinary circle. It takes up the entire room, since the room is so narrow and the contraption is so large.

Wendla goes over to it and begins pressing buttons on the circle's side. A black hole begins to form in the center of the circle, and the machine begins to roar. The roaring continues to get louder and louder until it's impossible to even think. I cover my ears to try to block out the sound, but it does nothing.

A strong wind starts to blow out from the circle. The black hole is now completely formed. Wendla is screaming something, but there's no way we can hear her. Peeta grabs my hand and begins to pull me towards the black hole, and I try to protest and pull black. _What's he doing? Is he crazy?_ My eyes begin to water from the wind, and Peeta is still pulling me forward. As he's just about to step into the black hole, I pass out.

When I come to, I'm lying in a hallway on top of Peeta.

"Are you okay?" he asks, squinting at me under the blaring, bright lights.

"Yeah," I say, standing up and stretching. My whole body aches, and I have a pounding headache. I ignore all the pain, realizing where we are for the first time since I opened my eyes.

"What door did Wendla say we had to go through?" I ask urgently. A clock ticks from an unknown place; almost as if it was reminding me how little time we have to save Rose.

"Uh, the one behind us," Peeta says.

Without giving it a second thought, I turn around and whip open the door. A force that I can't name seems to pull us through the door, and before I can even blink, Peeta and I are standing on the outskirts of the arena. The door we were pulled through is slowly disappearing, and I try to grab the doorknob, thinking that it's probably the only way out. I can't grab it in time, and our one way out of the arena disappears before our very eyes.

"There's got to be another way out," Peeta tries to reassure me.

I look around at my surroundings as my mind begins to switch into Game mode. There are trees all over. In fact, that's all I can see. It seems that the whole arena is a forest. This is good. I'm used to this type of environment. My hopes begin to rise, and I realize that we're going to be able to save Rose. I have no doubts now.

We begin slowly making our way around the outskirts of the arena, trying to see if there's any chance Rose will be hiding around here. She's not, we come to realize, so Peeta and I start moving towards the center of the arena, hoping we'll find her there. After walking for what seems like forever, I hear a scream. My face begins to sweat, and I know that it's not just anybody's scream. It's Rose's scream. Suddenly, two people pop out from trees in front of us. One is a gray-eyed, blonde haired, pale skinned girl. _Rose!_ my mind screams. The other is a large, burly boy with some sort of spear in his hand. It looks like the boy is chasing Rose.

Before I can even react, I watch as the spear leaves the boy's hand, and plunges into Rose's side.

**Author's Note:**

**I'm SO sorry this update took so long. I swear it'll never happen again. You see, I was finishing up this chapter about a week ago, when my computer suddenly crashed and I lost all of my data. I was so upset that I just didn't have it in me to write it again. Luckily, all that Halloween candy gave me the energy I needed, and well, there ya go. Happy Halloween!**

**The name Wendla comes from the Broadway musical, Spring Awakening. I listened to the soundtrack while typing this. I recommend you check it out.**

**REVIEW! I want to know your thoughts on the events at the end of this chapter. Would you be upset if something, say, did happen to Rose? I seriously love reviews, and I would love if YOU would review. Seriously, if you have read this, I REALLY REALLY REALLY want/need you to review. You'd make me happy. =) Reviews=Happy Author=Faster Update!**


	5. That Child of Mine

**Chapter 5- That Child of Mine**

I run. What else am I supposed to do? It's my _daughter_. I run towards her at full speed, already thinking of ways to kill the burly kid who's spear had went through Rose's body. I just begin to start running when I feel something yank me back. Turning, I find Peeta holding my arm and pulling me back into the shadows of the forest.

"What are you doing?" I nearly shout at him.

"The cameras. They're going to be on her right now. There's no way we can go out there. We'll all be dead within a minute."

I stare at him in shock. "So you're going to let our daughter just DIE? What's wrong with you? I can't believe it. Let go of me!"

Peeta keeps his tight hold on my arm. He's not listening to anything I'm saying; he's staring at Rose. "It doesn't look like it pierced her that hard…" I hear him mutter to himself.

"The camera is probably on someone else now. She's just lying there. People won't want to watch that. Some new action is going on somewhere else. They'll be putting that on the TV screen. Let's just go and grab her. She's going to die, Peeta." My voice cracks as I finish, and it's impossible to hold back tears any longer.

"You have to be quiet," Peeta forcefully tells me.

"Why should I be quiet?" I scream, clawing at Peeta's hands, trying to get him to release me. "If we don't go to her, she's going to die anyway. I'd rather die than sit here and watch my child die, knowing there's nothing I can do! Peeta, let me freaking go!" I bring up my leg and kick him in the gut. That does it. He loses his balance and tumbles backwards, breaking his hold on my arm.

I take off immediately. There's no way Peeta is going to catch me now. I reach Rose within a matter of seconds. It's looks even worse up close. The spear seems to have gone halfway through her, and she's losing blood fast. The gash on her side makes me want to puke when I look at it. Rose isn't conscious. Her face is sheet-white and I can tell there's not a lot of time left.

I try to pick Rose up in my arms, but my whole entire body is too weak. I try again, before falling to the ground and lying down next to her. There's nothing I can do now. The Gamemakers will be here any second, taking Rose and I up into a hovercraft. Then they'll kill us, well, actually just me. They'll just let Rose suffer and let her die on her own. They're cruel like that.

The seconds go by like hours. I start to imagine the life Peeta will go back to after all of this. Somehow, I know he'll make it out. He'll be broken, for sure, but with the help of Haymitch and Finnick, he'll become himself again. Time will heal him.

Suddenly, I hear a rustle from behind us. It doesn't matter who it is. I actually hope it's another tribute, here to kill us. I just want it over with. The person comes nearer, and I close my eyes, saying my silent goodbyes to Finnick and Haymitch and saying hello to Prim and all those who have already passed on.

_Why am I not dead yet? Or am I already dead? How does it feel when you die?_ I open my eyes to see myself still lying on the ground in the arena. Only there's something missing. Rose. I abruptly sit up, searching for any sign of where she could've been taken.

"Katniss!" someone whispers, causing me to jump several feet into the air.

"Who…?" I begin, but then see Peeta's blue eyes staring at me from behind a tree a little ways away. "Do you have..?"

"Yes," he motions for me to come, "Hurry up, before they see you."

I roll my eyes. What are the chances they haven't seen me? Going over to where Peeta and Rose are will just put them into danger. "No," I shake my head. "You go find a way out with Rose. It's almost a guarantee that they've already seen me. If I go with you, you guys will just end up dying with me." Tears begin to form in my eyes. "Save Rose, Peeta. I have faith you can do it. After all," I whisper softly, "You saved me." The tears flow freely now, and my vision becomes blurry.

Suddenly, I hear Peeta's voice in my ear. "I'm not leaving you," he says determinedly. With that, he picks me up in his arms, and jogs back over to where he was hiding with Rose. It's a little cave that's covered in leaves, and it's unnoticeable to people walking by. Peeta brings me inside and I see Rose lying down across from me, blood still pouring out from the gash.

"What are we going to do?" I say helplessly, weakly motioning to her.

"We'll figure out something. Just rest, for now. I'll take care of everything. You haven't seemed to be taking any of this well. Sleep will help. Hopefully in a couple of hours you'll feel better."

"I'm fine Peeta, really," I insist, trying to sit up, but too weak to do so.

"Yeah, okay," Peeta says sarcastically. "Just go to sleep."

I don't have it in me to debate him on the subject, so I just do as I'm told.

* * *

I wake up a few hours later to find Peeta missing and Rose in the same exact state. The bleeding seems to have slowed down, and I suspect Peeta has spent the entire time trying to stop it. He was right; sleeping really did help. I feel much stronger now. I move closer to Rose and gently feel around the gash. Peeta has left the spear in her side, and I'm sure he has his reasons, so I don't move it. Rose is still out cold, but a little color has returned to her face. A little hope enters my body, but I don't want to think that she'll survive, because if she doesn't, it'll make things even worse.

"Does it look any better?" Peeta asks, re-entering the cave with a small bucket of water and some large, smooth leaves.

"A little, but blood is still coming out. Where'd you get the bucket from?" I ask.

"I found it by the river," Peeta says, as he comes next to me to inspect the gash.

"What if that was somebody's bucket?" I ask worriedly. "What if somebody saw you take it?"

"There was at least thirty buckets sitting there. The Capitol probably put them there." Peeta slowly moves the spear out a little bit, and we're greeted with a waterfall of blood.

"It sounds a little fishy, Peeta," I say as he grabs one of the large leaves and places it against the gash to stop the blood.

"Well, we don't have time to worry about it right now. We needed water, and that was the only thing there was to carry it in. Didn't you say that those Gamemakers were stupid? Maybe there isn't a catch."

"I don't trust it," I say, eyeing the bucket. "One of us should just take a tiny sip and see if anything happens. I'll do it."

"No, I'll do it. I'm the one who took the bucket in the first place," he says, still trying to stop the overflow of blood coming from Rose's side.

"Too late," I say happily, as I pick up the bucket and take a sip. It tastes like water, but that doesn't necessarily mean anything. Peeta stares at me angrily.

"Why do you have to do that?" Peeta asks, annoyed.

"Do what?" I ask defensively.

"Always do the heroic gesture. Why couldn't you just let me drink the water? I'm the man. You're my wife. I'm the one who's supposed to act all heroic."

"When did you become so sexist?" I ask, disgusted by this side of Peeta.

"Since you started putting your life in danger to keep me safe. How many times have I told you that I don't need you to keep me alive?" Peeta eyes become piercingly blue as they glare into mine.

"You don't have the right to tell me what to do," I say icily. Not waiting for him to reply, I lie back down, turning around to face away from him.

Peeta groans, and I can feel him staring at the back of my head. After a few moments of total silence, I hear him turn around and begin working at Rose's wound again. _Why is he acting like this? Maybe it's just stress. Besides, we'll never be able to keep up a fight with Rose and the state she's in. It'll be okay. It'll be okay. It'll be…_Lying in the cool cave, surrounded by silence; I'm lured back into a deep sleep.

* * *

When I wake up again, I see Peeta lying on the opposite side of the cave, sleeping. Rose's bleeding has slowed down, and a crusty circle of dried blood has formed around the spear that's still in her side. I crawl over to her and gently stroke her cheek, staring into her white face.

"We should try and take the spear out now." I jump and see Peeta staring at me, tears in his eyes.

"Um, yeah, okay," I say hesitantly, still disturbed about our fight from before.

He comes over to where I'm seated and gently puts his hand on Rose's side. He grabs a large leaf from behind us, and instructs me to quickly pull the spear out when he says to. I wrap my hands around the spear's handle and wait for his word.

"Go!" I pull the spear out, but before another waterfall of blood can appear, Peeta quickly covers Rose's side with a leaf. Still, blood manages to seep through the leaf, and soon the ground by Rose is covered in blood.

"We have to stop the blood! She's going to die!" I say, hysterical. I pick up the spear and try to push it back into her side, but Peeta stops me.

"No! That'll only make things worse. We've got to get more leaves to stop the blood!"

I turn around and swiftly pick up all the leaves sitting in a pile behind us. "Here," I say, thrusting them towards Peeta. He takes them and starts piling them up on Rose's side. After a few minutes, the bleeding finally stops.

"Oh thank God," I say, relieved. I lean against the cave wall and close my eyes, trying to calm my rapidly beating heart.

"Katniss," Peeta whispers, his voice ragged.

"What?" I say, my eyes flying open.

"Her heart…" Peeta says slowly. "It's not…"

"No, Peeta, she's fine. You stopped the blood. She's fine," I say determinedly as I move towards Rose. Her face is whiter than it's ever been and I can tell she's not breathing. I lift a shaky hand and bring it to where her heart should be beating. _Nothing. _

I start to scream. _She's dead. She's dead. I failed_. Not knowing what else to do, I get up and run out of the cave. I have to get away from her, from everything. I have to find the Gamemakers. They did this to her. They killed her. My vision becomes red as I continue to run through the forest.

"Katniss! Come back! Stop!" I hear Peeta shout from behind me, and I assume he's trying to run after me. He can't catch me, though, and I know it. With his fake leg, I'd have killed all the Gamemakers by the time he'll reach me.

A kind of craziness envelops me as I run, and soon I have no idea where I'm going or what I plan to do when I reach the Gamemakers. All I know is that I _have_ to reach the Gamemakers and I _have_ to kill them. They deserve to be killed after what they did to Rose. The fact that Rose is dead brings a new kind of violence directed towards the Gamemakers coarsing through me.

What I don't know, though, is that back at the cave, a child with blonde hair and gray eyes has just opened her eyes, wondering why she's lying in a cave and thinking about where her parents could possibly be.

**Author's Note:**

I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please, please, **PLEASE REVIEW**. It helps me so much and gives me the motivation I need to write. I want to hear what you have to say about this story. **CONSTUCTIVE CRITISM IS APPRECIATED**. Thanks. =)


	6. Those You've Known

**Chapter 6- Those You've Known**

"Katniss, stop running!" I hear a voice behind me call.

"Shut up, Peeta. I need to do this." I continue to run through the forest, not even worrying about the fact that I have no idea where I'm going.

"It's not Peeta, Katniss," I hear the same voice say softly. I stop running and turn to see…nothing. Nobody is behind me, and yet the voice sounds so close.

"Who's there?" I call out.

Suddenly a shimmer-y figure appears before me and I stumble backward, tripping over a branch and falling down. "RUN!" my mind scream, but I can't. I'm in awe of the figure standing before me. It's a man, and his whole self is a light blue color. I can also see right through him into the forest.

"Who are you?" I ask, frightened and shocked at the same time.

The man chuckles. "I'm surprised you don't remember me, Katniss. It hasn't been that long. You were with me when I died."  
My eyes widen and I gasp. "Finnick?" I choke out.

He nods. "I came to warn you, Katniss. You need to stop what you're doing. No good will come out of it."

"I don't care if no good will come out of it," I say defiantly. "My daughter is dead. In fact, I hope the Gamemakers kill me."

"No, Katniss. You don't understand." Another figure flickers into existence next to him. It's a young girl, around thirteen years old. She's holding a cat in her arms.

"Oh my God," I whisper. "Prim."

She smiles. "Hi Katniss," she says, waving at me.

Tears begin to well up in my eyes. Seeing her makes me long for her to be alive even more. "I miss you," I say through my tears.

She comes closer and sits down next to me. "I know," she says sadly. "But that doesn't mean you can just go throw your life away. You have a husband and children. They need you. Mourning me will do nothing. Believe me, I'm with you everyday, silently watching. And Katniss," she leans in closer, "I'm proud of you."

I lift up my arms and try to hug her, but they just end up going through her body. I long for her to be close again. "But Prim, my daughter is dead. How am I supposed to move on after that? I've been through so much, and the burden is just getting too heavy to carry now. I want to quit Prim," I say hysterically, the tears falling quickly down my face. "I can't do this anymore. And I want to be with you again. Please let me die, Prim. I don't want to be alone anymore."

She smiles sadly. "Katniss, you've never been alone. I've always been with you. This whole entire time, I've never left your side. And we'll," she motions to Finnick, "will always be in your heart."

Before I can answer, another figure appears beside Finnick. It's a little boy.

"Mommy!" the boy calls out.

"No, no, no, no," I cry, staring at my son. "This isn't happening. He can't be-" My voice breaks off as I begin to cry and scream at the same time. "Not both of my children. No, this can't be happening." Suddenly, there's only one thing I can do. It's the only thing I can think of. I sit up abruptly, and ignoring the three ghosts, I search around until I find a sharp rock. "Mommy will be with you soon," I whisper to Finnick, and bringing the rock up to my chest, I prepare to plunge it through my heart.

Just as I'm about to do it, I hear Finnick, my son, call out, "She's alive, Mommy! She's alive!"

"What?" I ask through my tears.

"Rose is alive!" he calls out happily.

I look at Prim in confusion. She nods happily. "She is, Katniss. And you have to go back to her and Peeta."  
"You're lying to me," I say, and prepare to plunge the rock through my heart again.

"She's not lying, Katniss," I hear grown-up Finnick say. I look into his eyes, and I can tell he's not lying. Rose is really alive.

"It can't be possible," I say, and a little happiness enters my body. Then I see Finnick, my son, staring up at me. I grip the rock tighter in my hand.

Sensing what I'm about to attempt again, Prim says, "Katniss, we're taking good care of him. He's happier than he's ever been. Please, listen, Katniss. You need to go back to Rose and Peeta and find a way out of the arena. Trust me, I know you'll be able to find a way out." Her shimmer-y body fades away ever so slightly. "We have to go now," she says.

"What?" I cry out. "No! Stay with me."

Prim chuckles. "Katniss, how many times do I have to tell you? We're always with you."

"Not gone, Mommy!" Finnick cries out. "Never gone!"

They're body are almost completely gone now. "Bye Mommy!" Finnick calls out. "I love you."

"Don't go!" I shout out, but it's too late they're already gone. I'm in shock. I just saw my dead sister, dead friend, and now apparently dead son. How could they possibly think I could ever go on without them all?

Suddenly, I hear Finnick's voice in my head. "Not gone, Mommy!" I realize it, then. They're always with me. It's taken this entire time for me to realize it. When I think back to the past years, I realize that they're been right beside me. I could feel them, just as I could feel them now. I was just too ignorant to realize it in the past.

I stand up, take a deep breath, and wipe the tears out of my eyes. As I begin to run back to the cave, only two words ring out in my mind: _Not gone. _

**Author's Note:  
I've been wanting to do a chapter like this for a while. It's inspired by the song "Those You've Known" from ****Spring Awakening****. I hope you enjoyed it, and aren't too upset by the fact that Finnick is dead. I didn't want to do it, but I figured killing someone off would add more emotion to the story. Well, REVIEW! And I've decided that the next chapter won't come out until I have 20 reviews. But if you see that the story already has 20 reviews, you should still review. Because it makes me happy =) I live for reviews now. CONSTRUCTIVE CRITISM APPRECIATED. Thanks. **


	7. Thanksgiving

**Chapter 7- Thanksgiving**

I get back to the cave to find Peeta already there talking to Rose, who is sitting on his lap. Her eyes light up when she sees me and I capture her in a tight embrace.

"You guys came to save me," she whispers, and I hug her tighter.

"Of course we did," I whisper back, kissing her cheek. "We love you."

"I love you too," she says, "Mommy, you're hugging me too tight. I can't breathe."

"Sorry," I say, releasing her. I can't stop smiling.

"What happened?" Peeta asks, grabbing my hand and pulling me down next to him.

"Nothing," I say. "I didn't do anything. Something inside me told me that I needed to come back here." I remember the fact that Finnick is dead and frown. I decide against telling Peeta; there's no point.

"Mommy?" Rose asks.

"What?"

"When are we going to get out of here? This place scares me."

I sigh. "I don't know, honey. We may have to stay here for a while."

"I hate this," she whispers.

"I do too," I say, stroking her hair. "You know what? Being in a place like this really makes you thankful for what you have, doesn't it?"

"What do you mean?" she asks.

"Well, for one, I'm thankful I have a beautiful daughter and a loving husband."

"I'm thankful I have a beautiful wife," Peeta chimes in.

"And I'm thankful that I have you guys as my parents!" Rose says. "I'm thankful for our big house back home, and the meadow, and the birds, and the animals, and everything!"

I laugh. "And don't forget the beaches in District 4. Do you remember when we went there to visit Grandma?"

Rose giggles. "How could I forget?"

We're all silent as we look back onto a better time in our lives.

_I'm standing on the shore of a beach. The sand feels nice beneath my bare feet as the sun shines brightly on my face. Peeta is closer to the water, holding both Rose and Finnick's hands. Rose is pulling Peeta closer to the water, as Finnick pulls him closer to the sand dunes on the opposite side of the beach. I move closer and take Rose's hand from Peeta's. "You go with Finnick," I say. Rose and I make our way to the water's edge, and I feel the spray of water against my face. A wave crashes down a little ways a way, and as the water touches our feet, Rose screams in shock at how cold it is. After getting used to the water after a little bit, we move in until our whole lower body is emersed in it. Rose and I start a splashing war, and soon we're both soaked. I see Peeta and Finnick standing on top of the sand dune back on the shore, and I wave to them. "Mommy?" Rose says, and I look at her. She's smiling more brightly than I've ever seen her smile. "This is perfect," she says. And right then, I realize that it is perfect. The way the seagulls fly across the sky, the way the waves crash down, the way the sand tickles my feet; everything is absolutely wonderful. The rest of the day is spent building sand castles and playing in the waves, and the kids even bury all of Peeta except his face under the sand. At the end of the day, as we are leaving the beach, Peeta comes and wraps his arm around me. "Let's never forget this," I say. "Never," Peeta whispers back._

"That was such a wonderful time," I say, returning back to reality. The damp cave walls and hard dirt floor offer a startling contrast from the beautiful beach.

"It was," Peeta agrees.

"Are you thankful for any other people, Mommy?" Rose asks.

"Well," I say, "I'm thankful for my mom, my sister, Finnick, and for all the people I used to know before you were born."

"Where are those people now, Mommy?" Rose asks.

I smile. "In my heart."

As Rose snuggles closer to me, she falls asleep within minutes. After a couple more minutes, Peeta is also sleeping. I look at them both and can't help but smile. "Thank you," I say out loud, to no one particular. Before I drift off also, I hear the voices of a little boy and a teenage girl whisper, "Thank you," back to me.

**Author's Note: I figured I'd do a chapter for Thanksgiving. Sorry that it's extremely short. I'm having a slight case of writers block with this story, but I'm hoping that it'll be cured soon. Please, *_REVIEW*_! They are definitely medicine for writer's block. =) By the way, I hope everyone had a lovely Turkey Day yesterday!**


	8. A Blessing is Just a Curse in Disguise

**Chapter 8- A Blessing is Just a Curse in Disguise**

"How long do you think we've been in here?" Rose asks me a couple of days later.

"I don't know," I say, trying to think. That's the thing about the Hunger Games arena. It makes you lose track of time. I know we've been in the cave for more than a long time, but there's really nothing I can do about it. Peeta and I have yet to figure out an escape plan, and there's no way we can just leave the cave and go out into the open. I mean, of course we leave for food and water every now and then, but we mainly stay in the cave.

Just then, Peeta comes back form hunting, empty-handed. He shrugs. "There's nothing out there. I even looked for berries. The place is barren."

I groan. "Those freaking Gamemakers probably did this on purpose."

"I wouldn't put it past them," Peeta says, sitting next to me. He takes my hand and begin to massage it slowly.

"Mommy?" Rose calls.

"Yeah?"

"I'm really hungry," she whimpers.

I sigh. "We all are, sweetheart. We just have to hang on."

"Hang on until when?"

"Until the opportunity to get food presents itself, I guess."

I hear Rose groan and lie down.

"I don't know how long she's going to be able to last," Peeta whispers to me.

"I know," I whisper back, "and she's already weak to begin with."

"Maybe I'll go back out and search some more," Peeta suggests, letting go of my hand.

"No," I say forcefully, grabbing his hand again. "You were just out there. There still isn't going to be anything. The Gamemakers probably took away all food sources throughout this entire arena. Probably want the tributes to resort to cannibullism or something," I mutter.

Peeta smiles sourly. "I guess you're right."

"Let's just sleep for now," I say, tugging him down so that he's lying next to me.

"I'm going out tomorrow morning," Peeta says matter-o-factly.

I let out a short laugh. "Okay, dear."

* * *

I wake up the next morning to find both Rose and Peeta missing. I try to tell myself to remain calm, but I just can't. _They probably went out hunting together_, I tell myself. _But what if they met up with other tributes? What if they were ki-?_

"Mom! Look what we found!" Rose shouts, running into the cave.

I let out a sigh of relief. "Quiet down," I whisper. "Somebody might have heard you."

"Who cares?" Rose says gleefully. "We have food!"

"Oh yeah?" I ask, smiling. I loved seeing my daughter happy. "What did you find? A rabbit? Berries?"

"Much better," Rose says, her eyes gleaming.

Just then, I smell it. It's not a rabbit, and it's definitely not berries. It smells like…_food_._ Real _food. As in, rotisserie chicken, pineapple soup, roasted duck, and chocolate cake. My stomach begins to rumble as the smell gets closer and closer. Then Peeta walks in, carrying the source of the smells: a basket full of food. I nearly drool at the sight.

"This was outside the cave," Peeta says, and he seems confused.

"Let's eat!" Rose shouts, lunging for the basket.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Peeta says, pulling the basket out of Rose's reach, "Something isn't right about this?"

"Peeta, just let her eat, " I say impatiently, already planning what I should eat first.

"It doesn't make sense why this would be outside our cave," he says frowning. "It was obviously meant for us. I mean, it was _right_ outside the cave. But for somebody to send this…they'd have to know we were here."

My eyes grow wide with realization. Peeta's right. Somebody knows we're here. Everything seems to slow down and all I can hear is my own heart beating loudly.

"Katniss?" Peeta asks. He reaches out toward me. "Are you okay?"

"We have to move," I say urgently. "It's not safe to stay here." I push away Peeta's outstretched hand, and grab Rose's shoulders.

"Rose, you need to listen closely. We're going to leave this cave and move somewhere safer."

"Why isn't it safe here?" Rose protests.

"Just listen to Mommy and Daddy. We're leaving this cave, and when we leave, I need you to follow right behind me and not stop for anything. Only stop if me or your father says to. Don't stop for anything. Don't stop for anybody." I speak slowly, making sure she gets the point.

"Except for you and Dad," Rose says, rolling her eyes.

"Rose!" I shout. "You need to understand the seriousness of this! If you don't listen to us, we all may die! Do you want that?"

Her eyes grow wide, and I see tears brimming in them. She obviously didn't realize how grim our situation was. "No," she whispers, shaking her head quickly.

"Good. Neither do I," I say, grabbing her hand. "Peeta, you go behind Rose."

"Where are we going to go after we leave this cave?" Peeta asks. "Do you have a plan?"

I frown. "No. But anywhere is safer than here." Then I begin to walk towards the cave's entrance preparing to run.

"Mom?" Rose whispers, just before we're about to leave.

"Yes?" I ask, a hint of impatience in my voice. We should've been out of here ages ago.

"I'm scared," she cries, burying her face in her hands.

"Listen," I say, bending down so that I was eye level with her. "This isn't the time to be scared. I know you, Rose. And Rose Mellark certainly doesn't get scared. You're a strong, brave girl, and this is where you're going to prove that me." I stroke her face. "Okay?"

She takes a deep breath and nods.

"Besides, we'll be fine." I try to say that as positively as I can, but it ends up sounding weak and uncertain.

Rose doesn't seem to notice, though, and becomes reassured.

"Okay," I say, standing up. "Now, on the count of three, we run. Just follow me. Peeta, make sure to keep an eye on Rose. Carry her if she starts to get tired. Ready?"

Peeta and Rose nod.

"One," I begin.

"Two."

"Three."

We take off running, and I'm running faster than I ever have before. We keep running and running, and after a couple of minutes, I spot another cave a little ways away. I start to pick up my pace. _We're going to make it! _I think.

And then the hovercrafts appear.

* * *

**Author's Note: Yeah, I realize it's been a month since I've update. To be honest, I'm pretty ashamed of myself. It's just that I didn't really know what to do with this anymore, and my other story (Those You've Known, a Harry Potter fanfic) was side-tracking me. So I'm really, really sorry for that. This chapter really sets the stage for much more action and drama, and I really think I'll be able to work quicker now! Happy Holidays, by the way, to everyone! And I hoped you enjoyed this chapter! By the way, if anyone has any ideas as to where they think I should head with this story, don't be afraid to either mention them in a review or in a PM! I think I have an idea now as to where I'm heading with this story, but believe me, suggestions are more than appreciated! As always, REVIEWS are also appreciated! Sooooo, TA TA...for now. **


	9. Left Behind

**Chapter 9- Left Behind**

_**This chapter was written to the song "Left Behind" from Spring Awakening. If you'd like, listen to it while reading. **__**Enjoy.**_

The hovercrafts appear directly over us, and my only instinct is to grab Rose. _It's over_, I think as I close my eyes and wait for death. I feel Peeta grab my arm, and I think about how nice it'll be for the Gamemakers to have found us all together.

"Katniss! We need to run!" Peeta shouts over the roar of the craft.

I open my eyes to find that the hovercraft didn't actually stop on top of us. In fact, it's moving towards the cave we were planning on going to. Not caring to know how it hadn't seen us, I push Rose in front of me and begin to run again.

Now it's Peeta leading the run, with me taking the rear. I have no idea where he plans on going, but it's not like I really have time to question. We run for a while, and then I realize that he's headed for the place where we entered the arena. _Why?_ I think. _The door's gone._ _It disappeared after we entered._

We finally reach the spot a while later, running all the way there, and Rose is exhausted. "Why are we here?" she pants.

"We're finding a way out of here," Peeta says, scanning the area.

"The door isn't here anymore," I say. "You saw it disappear when we came in."

"Just give me a minute," Peeta gets down on his knees and feels the ground.

"Oh God," I groan. "You've lost it."

Peeta ignores me and continues to feel around.

"Rose, why don't you lie down and relax for a while?" I suggest.

She nods her head tiredly, and sits down against a moss-covered tree. Within minutes, she's asleep. I smile at the sight. She looks angelic, despite the unruly hair and unnaturally pale skin. Even with all that's happened, she's smiling in her sleep. The bad dreams I had from the Games must not be plauging her.

I look away from Rose when I hear Peeta mutter angrily, "I just know it's here."

"What is?" I walk over and sit down next to him.

"The door. It's in the ground."

I frown at him. "Where'd you get that idea?"

"Finnick; our Finnick came to me in a dream last night…he told me that the door was going to be around here."

I pale at the mention of our son. "Why didn't you tell me this before?" I whisper.

"There wasn't time," he replies quietly, and somehow I know that Peeta knows Finnick's dead.

And he knows I knew all along.

"I didn't want you to be upset," I expalin, placing my hand on Peeta's back.

He ignores me and gets up to search in another place. I stay where I am, trying to control the tears that are making their way to my eyes.

"I'm more upset now than I would've been then," I hear him say.

"I'm sorry," I whisper brokenly.

He doesn't respond, and we're quiet for a while, before my curiousity gets the better of me.

"In that dream, did, um, Finnick tell you how he died?"

Peeta sighs and stops searching. He turns around and looks at me with his sad blue eyes. "Yeah."

"Can I please know?" I ask, praying that he'll tell me, even though I kept Finnick's death from him.

"He got the flu," Peeta say quietly. "Haymitch had started drinking again and wasn't in his right mind. He didn't treat Finnick at all, and well…"

My heart stops beating. "Then it's all my fault," I gasp. "I was the one who left him with Haymitch. I should've been smarter. I could've brought him a million other places. Our child died because of me." I'm in such a shock that I can't even cry. Peeta comes over and puts his arms around me.

"It's not your fault," he whispers, holding me tight. We can't blame this on anyone. Nothing's going to bring Finnick back."

"All the things he never got to do..." I whisper slowly. "Everything he could've accomplished…"

"Left behind," Peeta murmurs.

Together we mourn our son.

Some time later, we decide it best to just recall the happier times we had with Finnick.

"Remember the day he put that pink icing in his hair?" Peeta asks with a small smile.

"It took us a week to get out. Then there was that time we visited my mother."

"And he drew a picture of both of them together on her bedroom wall. What did he title it again?"

"Grammy and Me. The drawing was actually pretty good. The spelling on the other hand.." I laugh.

"Finnick would've been quite the artist," Peeta sighs.

"Mommy," Rose calls, and I turn to see her wide awake and listening to us.

"What is it?" I ask, hoping she hadn't seen us crying. From the happy look on her face, she hadn't.

"Remember that time Finnick ran away?" she asks.

Peeta laughs. "You mean the time he _threatened_ to run away, walked to the end of the street, and came back crying?"

Rose laughs, "Yeah, that was funny." She gets up and starts to walk towards us. She trips almost immediately over something, and with a scream, lands flat on her face.

Peeta and I rush over to her to make sure she's okay. "I'm fine," Rose assures us, sitting up and rubbing her head. Peeta goes to look at what she tripped over and begins to laugh wildly.

"What is it?" I ask.

"It's a door knob!" Peeta exclaims, and I've never seen him so happy. He picks up Rose and begins to dance her around.

I walk over to where Peeta was standing, and see a tiny door knob sticking out of the ground. I can barely make out the outline of a door in the ground. I sigh with relief. "We can finally leave!"

"We're leaving?" Rose asks, frowning.

"Yes! We can go home now!" Peeta says, giving her a big kiss on the cheek.

"We can't go home yet!" Rose shouts angriliy.

Peeta stops dancing, and we both stare at Rose.

"Why not?" I ask.

"We need to save my friend first," Rose says, and she looks like she's about to cry.

Peeta and I glance at each other. "Rose, don't you want to go home and be safe?" I ask slowly.

"No!" Rose stomps her foot. "I want to save my friend first. Then we can go home."

"That's dangerous, honey. We could all get killed."

"We made it this far," Rose tries to reason with us. "We just need to find out where Noah is- that's my friend's name- and then bring him back here with us. Besides, you guys already know what he looks like, so it'll be easy."

Peeta frowns. "We haven't seen anyone but you here, Rose."

"No, I'm sure you saw him. Noah's the boy who threw the spear at me."

**Author's Note: Okay, so maybe after a two month wait, a cliffhanger isn't really nice. But I know a lot of people have been wondering how Lil' Finnick died, so I thought it would be the LEAST I could do to include his death. I want to thank everyone in advance who have stuck with me even after this long break. The reason for this long break is a mixture of school, broken computers, and lack of inspiration. But I'm back! I'm hoping to update everyone one to two weeks now. Thanks again to everyone who has stuck by me, and remember, reviews are nice =)**


	10. Annoying Boy, Gamemaker Joy

**Chapter 10- Annoying Boy, Gamemaker Joy**

**So,so sorry for the mix-up guys. That chapter you all read was for a different story. Here's the real one =P**

"Rose…you still aren't feeling very well," Peeta says slowly. "You don't know what you're saying."

"Stop it Dad," Rose shouts stubbornly. "I know what I'm saying. Noah's my friend. He helped me out when we first got thrown into the arena. "

"He tried to kill you!" I say exasperatedly.

"No, he did not! Well, actually he did," she murmurs, scratching her head. "But he didn't know what he was doing! See, we were hiding out in a cave, kinda like the one we were in before. Noah had brought back some berries for us to eat because we were reallyyyy hungry. He was already eating them when he came in. Then, all of a sudden, Noah started going on a rage, and he was throwing all of our supplies all around the cave. I got up and ran out, but Noah started following me, and well, you know what happened." She shrugged. "He definitely did what he did because of the berries. Somethign was wrong with them. I had known Noah for a while by then, and he had been nothing but nice the entire time. That's why we need to go save him."

"Rose, he could be dead already," I say, hoping to get Rose to drop the subject. Why was it that this had to be so difficult? Why did it _always_ have to be so difficult?

"He's still alive," Rose says confidently. "I would've felt something if he had died."

"And why would you have felt something?" Peeta inquires impatiently. I can tell he wants to get out of the arena as soon as possible, and this is messing everything up.

"We're blood sibilings," she says simply.

Peeta and I exchange a glance. That's impossible. We only had two kids. I didn't want any more after Finnick. One boy. One girl. It seemed like enough.

"Honey, you're only brother is Finnick," I say quietly. I'm starting to think Rose has really lost her mind.

"No, Mommy, not like that. Right after we got into the arena, I ran to the center to get supplies. Somebody had cut my arm with a knife during all the craziness, and I started bleeding really badly. Noah dragged me away from all the fighting and into the trees. His hand was bleeding, too. Once he checked to make sure we were safe, he came over and put his hand on my arm, right where the cut was. Then he said, "You can trust me. You have to. Our blood is mixed now. We're sibilings."

"Enough!" Peeta shouts, and I jump from shock. Turning to him, I can tell he's mad; more mad than I have ever seen him. "We're not going to look through this entire arena just for some boy. It's not worth it. I came here to save you, and I accomplished that. Now we're leaving."

Rose started to protest, but Peeta roughly picks her up in his arms and holds her. "Get the door," he mutters to me.

"Peeta, put Rose do-"

"Just open the damn door!" he shouts, and I become afraid. This is _not_ my husband. This is _not_ Peeta.

I rush to the in-ground door and fling it open. There's a bright white column of steps leading downward into a well-lit room. I can see the same portal we arrived at the arena in.

Peeta storms down the steps before I can tell him to make sure nobody is down there first. I quickly follow after him, praying that the room is empty. It is, luckily. Peeta sets Rose down on the ground and goes over the portal, turning it on. Rose begins to cry, and I try to comfort her the best I can.

"It's alright," I soothe. "We'll be home soon. Then we'll be safe. I bet you won't even remember Noah in a couple of months."

"But I will!" she moans, throwing her head back. "We're blood sibilings."

The portal starts to darken, and a wind begins to pick up. Peeta strides over and picks Rose up again. He doesn't even try to console her. We wait in silence until the portal begins to pull us in. Before I know it, we're standing in a new room; this one is completely dark.

"Where's that damn light?" Peeta mutters, and I can hear him beginning to search around for it.

"Would you stop saying that?" I shout angrily. "Damn, damn, damn. Well, damnit, you're young daughter is in the room. You could at least try to keep it together for her."

Peeta is silent. After a few moments, he finds the light and flicks it on. I can tell now that we're back in the room that we had started in a few weeks ago; the room in which we first entered the portal.

"Let's go," Peeta says quietly, and begins marching up the steps to the main floor. I follow behind, holding Rose's hand.

Before we reach the door at the top landing, it is thrown open, and my breath stops. _It's somebody from the Capitol. They caught us. We're dead._

Only, it's not anyone from the Capitol. It's Wendla, the girl who had sent us through the portal the first time. And she looks overjoyed.

"Oh thank God you're back," she whispers, ushering us through the door. "I thought you were all killed. It's amazing, it is. I've been watching the Games this entire time, and not once has the camera shown you. You're all mighty good at hiding, aren't you? Oh! Is this your daughter? What a pretty little thing! You know-"

"Is there any place we can stay for the night?" Peeta interrupts loudly. He's more relaxed than he was in the arena, but I can still tell something is wrong.

"Oh, er," Wendla stutters, taken back by Peeta's interruption. "I suppose you could stay in the guest room…there's only one bed, but-"

"That's fine. I'll sleep on the floor. Can you show us to the room? I'd like to get some rest."

Wendla stares at Peeta oddly, before nodding slowly. She directs us up some steps and through a door, and we're standing in a tiny room that's only piece of furniture is a large king-sized bed.

Peeta nods stiffly. "This is fine, thank you. Now if you could please not disturb us." Peeta goes and grabs a pillow off the bed, dropping it on the floor. "We'd like to get some rest."

Wendla frowns. "Of course," she says quietly, before closing the door.

Peeta is already lying on the floor, his head on the pillow. "Get some sleep," he instructs us.

"DO you want a blank-?" I ask.

"I'm fine," he snaps, rolling over to face the wall.

I look at Rose. She's staring at Peeta as if he's a monster. I sigh. "Come on, honey, Daddy's right. It's time to sleep." We crawl into bed, and within minutes, we're both out cold, dreaming of a perfect world.

_**In another place:**_

"Um, Mr. Bimble, there's been some reported odd activity in the arena. Apparently there was a slight glimpse of some people, er, _older_ people in the arena. _Adults_."

"Oh I know. I'm more perceptive than you think, Diggory. And I know exactly who those "adults" were. I've already handled it. They think they can outsmart the government, hmm? Well, they'll pay. Don't doubt it, my friend. For, as Head Gamemaker, I know more than a million ways to kill a person, and believe me, I'll be trying quite a few out very soon on our, how should we say it? Uninvited guests, perhaps?" The smile he had on his face chilled Diggory to the bone.

**Author's Note: That'ssss that! Hope you enjoyed! Show the love by reviewing!**


	11. Falling Action

**Chapter 11- Falling Action**

Peeta is quiet the next morning. We mill about our room for most of the morning; Rose and I making small talk, Peeta absently drawing on a piece of paper. At noon, I decide to get some fresh air, and Rose accompanies me outside. She asks Peeta to come, too, but he declines.

Outside, the sky is pale blue and cloudless. The air is much fresher than the air in the arena, and I take a few moments to soak in the bright sunlight. The dirt beneath my feet gently moves with the light wind. Suddenly, Rose taps my back. "You're it!" she calls, already running. I proceed to chase after her, and we continue to play tag for about an hour. Then I find an old ball, silently rolling down the road, and pick it up.

"Catch!" I shout at Rose, throwing the ball in her direction. She tries to grab it, but it goes over her head. "You have to jump for it!" I tell her, as she throws the ball back to me. I throw it again, this time making sure it goes right to her. Rose holds out her hands, but ends up missing it yet again. "Haven't I ever played catch with you before?" I ask her.

"Umm, no," Rose shrugs.

"Oh," I say, frowning. "Well, it's about time you learn. I'm going to throw the ball to you, and you need to catch it with your hands. Make sure you wrap your fingers around it so it doesn't fall. Understand?"

Rose nods. I throw the ball, and she catches it.

"Great catch!" I hear someone shout, and turning, I see Peeta leaning against a streetlight nearby.

"When did you get out here?" I ask.

"I saw you guys playing catch and wanted to join in." Peeta shrugs. "It's lonely up in the room."

"It took you long enough," I mutter under my breath, whipping the ball in his direction.

"Woah, take it easy," he says, throwing the ball towards Rose.

"Are you over your little mood swing?" I ask him quietly as Rose tosses the ball towards me.

"What are you talking about?" he asks.

I whip the ball at him again. "That crabby mood you were in last night. And this morning. I don't know what came over you."

"Nothing came over me," Peeta says, holding the ball in his hand. "Is it so wrong for me to want some time alone?"

"No," I tell him. "But you don't need to act so rude towards your daughter and I. Even Wendla was surprised by your behavior."

"Well who cares what she thinks," Peeta mutters, finally throwing the ball to Rose.

"I care. It was embarrassing the way you were acting. You weren't acting like the Peeta I know."

"Oh, really? Well, maybe you don't know me at all," Peeta shouts, throwing his hands in the air.

"What is your freaking problem?" I scream back, forgetting Rose, who is staring at both of us with wide eyes.

"You know what it is? It's you. I'm not the Peeta you know? Well, you're not the same Katniss anymore. You never used to tell me how to behave, and now you're acting like my mother."

"Because you're acting like an ass!" I scream.

Peeta huffs. "I'm going back to the room. It's not so lonely there, now that I think about it." He turns on his heel and storms back into the building.

I let out a scream and wrap my arms around myself. Rose stares at me.

"Mommy," she whispers, still holding the ball in her hands, "what just happened?"

I wave my hand at her. "We just had a little disagreement, honey. It's what mommies and daddies do. Don't worry. Everything is fine." Except, I really _don't_ know if everything is "fine".

Rose sighs and drops the ball on the ground. "I don't think I want to play anymore."

I sigh, too. "Neither do I. Why don't we go inside and wash off? Wendla is supposed to be making an early dinner for us."

We go back up to our room, and Peeta merely glances at us as we walk in before going back to his drawing. Rose and I just finish washing up when Wendla calls from downstairs, "Mealtime!"

Peeta remains drawing as Rose and I walk towards the door. "Aren't you coming?" I ask him.

"Maybe I'll be down in a little while," he says without looking up.

I glare at him for a minute before grabbing Rose's hand and walking downstairs.

The dining room table is crowded with bowls of boiled potatoes and green beans. In the center is a large roasted chicken, and the smell makes me want to drool.

"It looks amazing, Wendla," I gush, sitting down next to Rose.

"Oh, thanks! Is Peeta coming?" she asks, taking her seat at the head of the table.

"Um, I'm not sure. He was pretty tired…" I mumble, my cheeks becoming hot.

"Oh that's fine," Wendla says quickly, understanding my awkwardness. "Rose, hun, would you like the first serving of chicken?"

Rose nods enthusiastically. "Mommy never makes chicken! Well," she giggles, "Mommy never really cooks. Daddy either cooks or we go to somebody else's house to eat." Rose takes a bite of the chicken on her plate. "Woah! This is so good!"

Wendla places a piece on my plate. "Well, help yourself to all the food. I made a lot. I suspect you guys are hungry, what with having nothing to eat in the arena."

Rose's face pales. "The arena…" she whispers.

I glance at her. I was wondering why Rose hadn't mentioned the Games all day. Maybe she forgot or thought it was all a bad dream. I try to take her mind off the subject. "Rose, can you pass the potatoes?" I ask quickly.

She does as asked, but she's still frowning. "Noah doesn't get to eat potatoes." She looks down at her plate. "He doesn't get to eat chicken either," she whispers. Rose pushes back her plate. "I'm not going to eat," she proclaims to the table. "If Noah doesn't eat, I don't eat. Blood siblings stick together!"

"Rose," I say calmly. "Just eat. I'm sure Noah is absolutely fine."

"Why are we still talking about that boy?" I hear Peeta's voice before I see him. He comes into the dining room and takes a seat opposite me. His abrupt entrance startles Wendla, but Peeta doesn't even acknowledge her presence.

"Cause he's my friend!" Rose shouts. "And he could be dying, right this second!"

"But you're safe, and that's all that matters!" Peeta interjects. "Now eat your food!"

Before Rose can speak, Wendla interrupts. "Are you talking about that boy in the Games? Well, I'm sure he's fine. I've been watching him on TV, and he's one of the best tributes in the arena. In fact, I know a lot of people are betting on him to win."

Rose slams her fist on the table, and her silverware knocks to the ground. I don't even reprimand her because I'm in such a shock; I've never seen her act like this. "That doesn't mean he can't be killed any minute!" she shouts, and I can see tears forming in her eyes. "He could be killed in his sleep, and it'd be all my fault because I didn't get to save him!" She looks at Peeta. "Why did you make me leave?" she screams at him. "Noah is going to die now, and it's all my fault. I hate you!"

Peeta jumps up and grabs Rose from over the table. "That's it," he says, and I fear the look in his eyes. "You're going upstairs, and you're staying in the room for the rest of the night. In fact, I'm locking you in there. You need to learn to not disrespect your parents."

"No!" Rose cries, but Peeta is already dragging her away.

"Peeta!" I shout. "Why are you doing this?"

"Because I have to," he mutters before disappearing up the stairwell with Rose in tow.

I lay my head on the table, and let the tears come out. Wendla is sitting quietly next to me.

"I'm so sorry you had to witness that," I tell her quietly.

I feel her hand on my head. She pats it gently. "I'm just sorry you have to go through this. But I'm sure it's just a side effect from the Games. I bet everything will go back to normal soon."

I sigh. It's never that easy.

**Author's Note: Ugh, it's been a while. Sorry =( Review, please. Might make an update come faster! Hope you enjoyed this chapter, and HAPPY APRIL'S FOOLS DAY!**


	12. Back to Rising Action

**Chapter 12- Back to Rising Action**

I don't talk to Peeta at all the next day. Rose and I go out to play catch again, but she remains oddly silent the entire time. I suspect she's still thinking about Noah. I sigh, knowing there's nothing I can do about it now. What's done is done. Rose may be haunted by his memory for the rest of her life, but its not as if anyone ever leaves the Games unscarred. I hate thinking about how she's going to become just like me- a girl who can't even close her eyes without being transported back to the arena, virtually fighting for her life everytime she sleeps. It's unfair. I thought that after I killed President Coin, everything would be okay. Life would be peaceful and no one would ever have to worry about the Games again. Why did there always have to be an idiot to screw everything up?

Suddenly, I hear Wendla call my name. "Katniss, Rose! Come quickly! I think that Noah boy is on the TV!"

Rose rushes ahead of me, and she's in front of the television in seconds. "It is him!" she's shouting as I walk into the room. "He's alive!"

A commentator over the screen announces that there are only five tributes left. "Those tributes are," he begins, "Candy Treen from District 4, Joshua Gregz from District 11, Tomas Fisher from District 2, Noah Burn from District 12, and Rose Mellark from District 12."

Rose frowns. "They still think I'm in the arena," she whispers.

The commentator continues. "Now, we haven't seen Rose for a while, but I suspect she's hiding in the outskirts of the forest, waiting for all the other tributes to kill each- Wait, hold on a moment, I'm getting word that Rose escaped from the arena! What? How can this be?"

My face pales, as does Rose's and Wendla's.

"It seems a video camera caught Rose escaping through a secret door along with two other people. Adults, from what I'm being told. Do we have the video? Ah, yes, here we go."

A blurry image comes onto the screen, and you can just make out three people walking down some steps into the ground. _Us_.

"Well, folks, this certainly is a first," the commentator continues. "No comment from the Head Gamemaker yet, but reporters are already headed towards his headquarters as we speak. As for the two adults helping Rose escape? Well, I'd venture a guess that it is Peeta Mellark and his wife, Katniss- Rose's parents. These two won the Hunger Games some time ago and led a successful rebellion against the original Hunger Games. It'd only make sense that they'd be outraged their daughter was now a tribute in the Games. Well, if you two are listening out there, I sense a lot of trouble coming your way. Now, back to the arena. Oh! Candy just managed to…"

The sound of the commentator's voice blurs and my pulse begins to quicken. All I can hear is a loud banging sound in my ears. I can't move. _They know. They're going to come for us._

Rose runs over and wraps her arms around me. "Mommy! I'm scared," she whispers into my shirt.

Wendla has run out of the room, and I can hear her getting something in the kitchen. _She's probably going to kick us out_, I think.

Peeta comes running down the stairs and stops in front of us. His face his strained. "I heard it all. We need to leave right now. Get all your things. Bring some food. We need to get as far away from the Capitol as we can. We need to go-"

"No," Wendla says calmy, coming back into the room. "You're going to stay right here. It'd be the smartest thing to do. After all, some of the Gamemakers do come and use the portal in the basement. They would never suspect you to be this close. Sure, they might know that you used this portal, but they'd never expect you to _stay_ here. They'll most likely think you're already on the run." She rushes us up the stairs and into our room. "You're going to have to stay in this room for a while; just until I know the coast is clear. I've fixed you some food; it should last you about two days. Then I'll come up with more. Do not open this door for anyone. Only open it if you here three knocks; that'll be the signal that it's me. Do you understand?"

Peeta hesitates. "I don't know if this is the best idea."

Wendla waves her hands at him. "It's the only way to keep you safe! I believe after all I've done for you, I at least deserves some trust."

I nod and look at Peeta. "She's right. This is the only way."

Peeta shrugs. "Fine, but if there are any problems, we _will_ have a Plan B."

"Oh, of course. You should have a Plan B, anyway. Safety is of upmost importance right now. Well, I'm going to go back downstairs and see if there are any more news reports. See you in two days." Wendla gives us all a wink and closes the door behind her as she walks out.

I go to sit on the bed. "This is going to be a long two days," I sigh.

"You know, Mommy, we learned about a girl who stayed hidden in an attic for two years! She was hiding from bad guys, too!" Rose comes and sits next to me on the bed.

Peeta runs his hand through his hair and begins to pace. "You're talking about Anne Frank. Rose, that's ancient history. Times have changed. We won't be able to just "hide"; we need to think of a Plan B. And I'm pretty sure Anne Frank didn't survive," he mutters, but Rose doesn't hear.

"The window isn't that high up," I suggest. "If we build a rope out of sheets and things, we'll be able to climb down it pretty quickly."

He thinks for a minute. "I suppose the window is the only option. Well, at least now we're going to have something to do over the next few days." Peeta grabs a blanket off of the bed and tosses it towards me. "Start knotting."

**Author's Note: It was a shortie, but hey, big things are ahead. Just stay with me! Can't you just feel the action approaching? Well, you know, you could always tell me in a REVIEW! That'd be nice =) Hope you enjoyed this chapter!**


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